Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium: Fenerbahçe
By Валерий Дед (STADIUM 2009) [CC BY 3.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The site where the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium now stands is actually a very important one in the history of Turkish football. Before the ground was built it was merely a field known as the Papazın Çayırı, or field of the priest. It became the country’s first ever football pitch and the location for numerous Istanbul Football League matches when the division was in its infancy. The land was leased from Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II to clubs wanting to play on it.
It was initially named the Union Club Field because Union Club had donated the most money towards its upkeep. However it was used by many of the city’s most famous teams, including, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş and of course Fenerbahçe. In 1922 the Taksim Stadium was built and the ground lost its importance. It was leased to Fenerbahçe initially before they purchased it outright in 1933 when Şükrü Saracoğlu was the President of the club and also a member of the Republican People’s Party.
Stats
| Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Opened | 1908 |
| Capacity | 50530 |
| Average Attendance | 28589 |
| Record Attendance | 45070 (Fenerbahçe v Galatasaray (2015)) |
| Pitch Size | 105 x 68 (7140) |
| Nickname | Ülker Stadium |
| Former Name | Fenerbahçe, Fenerbahçe Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium, Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium |
| Owner | Fenerbahçe S.K. |
| Sponsor | Ülker |
| Clubs Hosted | Fenerbahçe S.K., Union Club, Galatasaray, Beşiktaş |
| Fenerbahçe Stats | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1907 |
| Nickname | Sarı Kanaryalar (The Yellow Canaries), Sarı Lacivertliler (The Navy Blue-Yellows), Efsane (The Legend), Fener, Kadıköy Boğası (Kadıköy's Bull) |
| Club Mascot | Canary |
| Rivals | Beşiktaş, Galatasaray |
| Kit | Yellow & Blue (Home) / Grey (Away) / Blue (Third) |
| Training Ground | Can Bartu Training Facilities |
| Shirt Sponsor | Nesine.com, Coca-Cola, Halley, Integral Forex, Astra Group, Borajet Airlines |
| Team Owner | Ali Koç |
| Record Goalscorer | Zeki Rıza Sporel (470) |
| Record Appearances | Müjdat Yetkiner (763) |
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Photos
Miguel Olaya / Flickr.com
By Scisa (Own work) [GFDL
mehmet bilgin / Flickr.com
By Kızıl Şaman [CC BY-SA 2.0]
David Jones / Flickr.com
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Seating Plan and Where to Sit
The Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium is an interesting design, partly a bowl of continuous seating but also broken up into different sections. It is a two-tiered affair with executive seating breaking up the East and West Stands. The North Stand houses the away supporters and The South Stand is where the home fans tend to locate themselves. The West Stand is the main one, housing the dugouts and changing rooms and so on.
Fenerbahçe Ticket Prices
The cost of tickets for Fenerbahçe matches change depending on who they’re playing against and where in the ground you’d like to sit. It’s also different depending on the competition you’re going to see, with the club often involved in both the Turkish Super Lig and European competition. In general for a run-of-the-mill league match you can pay as little as 17 Turkish Lira for a ticket and as much as 425 TL.
How To Get Fenerbahçe Tickets
Buying tickets for Fenerbahçe matches is a complicated process. Aside from third-party websites you can also pick them up from the ticket office at the stadium. You can also get tickets online.
Where to Buy
Getting To Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
Train – You can probably get a train to Istanbul if you want but it’s likely to take several days. Better to get there by other means and then head to the stadium itself. Both Söğütlüçeşme and TCDD Kızıltoprak İstasyon Stations are within walking distance of the ground, if you’re hoping to get the train.
Bus – Bus numbers 4, ER1, 16, 16D, 222, FB1, FB2 and GZ1 all stop near enough to the stadium.
Car – If you’ve decided to drive in Turkey then all power to you. The ground is on Bagdat Cd, which is itself reachable from the Istanbul çevre Yolu. If that doesn’t make much sense then just use a sat-nav like sensible people.
By Air – Ataturk Airport is on the European side of the city of Istanbul and is just over fifteen miles or so from the centre. Sabiha Gökçen is newer and is on the city’s Asian side, about 25 miles from the docks.
Taxi – It will take about half an hour to get from the centre of Istanbul to the stadium, costing you in the region of 45 Turkish Lira.
Parking Near Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
There are a couple of car parks at there ground but they aren’t that big and they tend to fill up quickly.
Useful Resources
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Hotels
You can get a lot for your money here, so you can live like a Lord for your time in Turkey without needing a King’s ransom to pay for it.
Timya Hotel - £30+
Riva's Moda - £44+
Kuzen Otel - £85+
Pubs and Bars Near Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium
Not a massively boozy place, but there are still some lovely places for a drink near the stadium.
Mackolik Complex
Olimpiyat 2 Minas Restaurant
Benzin Cafe
Facilities
Sifght lines are no issue here and there are places to get refreshments etc. However, don’t expect the same sort of comfort and facilities as you would find at a Premier League ground.
Hospitality
There are two main levels of hospitality at Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium. The East Stand contains a row of executive boxes from where you can watch Fenerbahçe matches in style. The West Stand, meanwhile, has a row of executive seating that sits between the two main tiers. That is less luxurious than a private box but also considerably less expensive.
Private Hire
As with most football grounds around the world, you’ll be able to hire certain parts of the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium if you’re hoping to host an event there. The club can give you more details about what you’ll need to do.
Stadium Tours & Museum
There is no sight nor sound of a tour, but Fenerbache do have an interesting museum. It’s a bit scary though, full of mannequins depicting famous moments in the club’s history.
About Fenerbahçe
Fenerbahçe Spor Kulübü, or Fenerbahçe SK for short, has been in existence since 1907 and is more than just a football club. As is commonly the place with ‘sports clubs’, there are numerous different arms to Fenerbahçe including male and female basketball and volleyball teams, a table tennis club and a swimming team. It’s obviously the football club that we’re interested in above all else, however, and on that front the Yellow Canaries do not disappoint.
To date Fenerbahçe have won thirty-seven domestic trophies, with nineteen of those being made up of Süper Lig titles. Add in nine Turkish Super Cups and six Turkish Cups and you’ve got one of the country’s most successful sides on your hands. They won the Balkans Cup in 1967, which isn’t all that noteworthy in itself. However this is widely considered to be the first non-domestic trophy won by a Turkish team. Something that neither of their city rivals, Beşiktaş and Galatasaray, can boast to have done.
Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium History
When Fenerbahçe purchased the stadium that is now known as Şükrü Saracoğlu on the 27th of May 1933 they became the first football club in Turkey to own their own stadium. It had a capacity of 25,000, which was 3,000 bigger than the newer and more modern Taksim Stadium that opened elsewhere in the city. It was re-named as Fenerbahçe Stadium and the club were aided in their ability to purchase it thanks to Şükrü Saracoğlu himself, who was the club President and was reasonably high up in the CHP government at the time.
Saracoğlu later became the Turkish Prime Minister and in 1998 the ground was renamed in his honour. At the same time the club confirmed that they were going to renovate the stadium in its entirety, doing so section by section so as to minimise disruption as much as possible. This took place over seven years from 1999 until 2006 at a cost of about $85 million. The capacity at the end of the work was raised to just over 50,000. As a bit of trivia for you, the ground hosted the last ever final of the UEFA Cup on the 20th of May in 2009 – the competition was re-branded into the Europa League the following season.
Future Developments
Given the fact that the entire stadium was re-developed reasonably recently, it’s unlikely to see any major upgrades in the foreseeable future.